


We'll Always Find our Way Back

by DragonNightwing



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Canon Lesbian Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hurt Adora (She-Ra), Implied Character Death, Injury, Lesbian Catra (She-Ra), Lesbian Character, Lesbian Disaster Adora (She-Ra), Love, Major Character Injury, Memory Loss, Multi, Oblivious Adora (She-Ra), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Adora (She-Ra), POV Catra (She-Ra), POV First Person, Post-Canon, Post-Finale, Post-War, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers, They're not actually dead I promise, We working through issues, but not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:47:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24296098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonNightwing/pseuds/DragonNightwing
Summary: After defeating Horde Prime, Adora falls into a coma. Months later she wakes up with no memory of what occurred when we stopped the heart. Stuck with bits and pieces Adora tries to differentiate between what happened while she was asleep and what actually happened in real life.  How will Catra address her feelings for Adora? Will she be wrapped up in self depreciation or will she be confident enough to tell Adora how much she loves her?
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Catra & Entrapta (She-Ra), Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Perfuma (She-Ra), Catra & Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 186





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Catra needs a hug.
> 
> After defeating Horde Prime, Adora falls into a coma. Months later she wakes up with no memory of what occurred when we stopped the heart. Stuck with bits and pieces Adora tries to differentiate between what happened while she was asleep and what actually happened in real life. How will Catra address her feelings for Adora? Will she be wrapped up in self depreciation or will she be confident enough to tell Adora how much she loves her?

Catra

The war is finally over and she loves me. Adora, my Adora loves me. It is surreal. I kissed her. She stayed for me. I can’t, I won’t ever leave her side again. Walking around the cliffs, I spot She-Ra in the distance. Adora, I thought as I started walking towards her. I watch as she detransforms, and stare in awe at the peaceful look Adora has on her face. _She is the most beautiful person in the universe._

“Hey Adora,” Catra reaches for Adora’s outstretched hand. Her hand was the softest imaginable. _This_ … being able to finally hold Adora close, being with her, being able to give the love I have.

Adora presses her head into mine. My breath hitches. Feeling the warmth of the sun on my fur, hearing the magic surrounding us. It was all perfect. Adora was perfect. 

“It’s over,” she breathes. 

“Good Riddance.” I can’t control the warmth inside of me. I purr into Adora’s grasp. 

I can’t shake the feeling that this is a dream. That the happiness I feel is one second away from dissipating into despair. _Do I really deserve this? After everything I’ve done, all the hurt I’ve caused?_ That's when it happens. When my world shatters once again.

It was barely audible.

“C-Catra..” I hear as I look into Adora’s eyes. Her face has grown pale, she is losing color in her eyes. I can feel her heartbeat quicken and see the terror in her eyes as she falls limp in my arms. 

“ADORA! No, no, no, no, Adora Wake up, Adora What’s wrong.” I cradle her in my arms. Cupping her cheek in my hand. Listening for any signs of life, I place my head near her chest. _Oh god. At least she’s breathing. What is going on?!?_

Glimmer runs over, Bow right behind. 

“Adora! Catra! What happened???” Glimmer exclaims. 

“I-i-i- d-don’t know. One second she was upright the next, shes -she’s..” I cover my mouth. I can hardly breathe. The war, it just ended, she can’t not be okay. I look up towards Glimmer, I can only manage a whisper, “I can’t...”

“I know.” Glimmer says. 

After a few minutes of trying to wake up Adora, they decide it would be best if they carried her back to camp. 

“I’ll do it” I stand up and cradle Adora’s head. Reminiscent of when Adora carried me out of Horde Prime’s ship, I cup both of Adora’s legs with one arm and standing tall, start walking towards camp. Tears were beginning to form at the corners of my eyes. This can’t be happening. “You’re going to be okay.” I say to Adora. 

As softly as possible I lay Adora on her bed. Before getting a chance to breathe, her tent is rushed by the rest of the princesses. I can hardly concentrate with everyone around. Their voices are growing louder and incoherent. I know they’re worried, but I can’t stand them surrounding me. My breathing quickens and I can feel my claws getting antsy. 

“That’s it!” I hiss. The tent goes silent immediately. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. I take in a deep breath and place my hand on Melog for comfort. “Look, she’s not waking up, we don’t know what’s wrong. Please just give her space. I can let you know if anything changes.” 

The tension was apparent. Before anyone could utter even a sound, I turned around, I didn't want them to see me cry. As I sit next to Adora, they begin to shuffle out of the tent. Melog rubs his head against my side. Glimmer being the last to leave, pauses before she completely exits. 

“I will ask my dad to see if he can help. She’ll be okay Catra. I think we should take her to brightmoon tomorrow. She’ll be safest there.” She places a hand on my shoulder. 

I wait till she leaves the tent. “Adora, please..” is all I can manage crying into her chest. 

\--------------

Adora

“It’s over.” It’s finally over. I rest my head against Catra’s. _I can finally be happy with Catra._ Internally I’m gushing from the love I have for her. Feeling her purr against my chest causes my heart to soar. As I reach for her cheek, my head begins to feel foggy. I-i can’t seem to get my hand to move. What’s happening?. I can feel my heartbeat quicken. I lean towards Catra, trying with all the strength I have left to stay awake. 

“C-catra..” I can barely manage to say her name as my world goes black. 

\---------------

Catra

There is no way I could sleep at a time like this. We don’t know what’s wrong with Adora. We don’t know if or when she’ll wake up. Taking a deep breath, I decide to go for a walk. I meander out of the tent with Melog following close behind. I see everyone around a fire, walk towards them, towards the princesses. They were celebrating. Tsk how can they be celebrating, when Adora is, Adora is.. I turn around and storm into the whispering woods. I can’t stand seeing them celebrate. Not when the woman I love is lying on a bed not smiling that beautiful smile of hers. 

Before I know it I am surrounded by trees, not a person in sight. Just Melog and I. Dropping to my knees, tail wrapping in front of me, I let it out. All the hurt, fear, pain. The tears poor down my face. Melog comes near and nuzzles my cheek. 

_“It will be alright”_ Melog murrs. I wrap my arms around him as he licks my tears. 

It takes about an hour for my emotions to calm down. Rather than make my way back I lay on my back looking at the stars. My emotional exhaustion starts catching up on me and I start drifting to sleep. 

“What are you doing here dearie?” an older voice calls. _EEK_ I spring up ready to pounce on anything. The hair on my tail standing straight up. Melog growls and glows red towards the surprising guest. 

“Mara dear would be so happy to see the magic returned.” she states. “She sleeps doesn’t she?” This must be Madame Razz. Adora has told me a story or two about her. 

“Adora?” I pause. Razz just looks at me. “She won’t wake up. I don’t know what’s wrong. I can’t help her, I feel so useless. She was supposed to be here celebrating with everyone. With... me. She’ll be okay, she’ll wake up.” I try to reassure myself. She has to. 

“She’s a tough one.” Razz says. “Mara would be proud.” Without saying another word she walks back into the woods. 

\--- One Week Later ---

I haven’t left her side since we’ve brought her to Brightmoon. She has shown no signs of waking up any time soon. The healers came and tried everything they could to help her. But.. nothing. Micah came. He placed a magic spell on her that helps her body survive while she's unconscious. I haven’t been able to sleep much. With the others continually visiting, the nightmares, anxiety I have not been able to sleep more than a few hours. Which only happened from excessive exhaustion. 

Glimmer tries, but I can see she’s just as distressed. She has been making sure I have been taking care of myself. She brought an extra cot so I could sleep near Adora. When I do get sleep, I lay next to her. The cot remains unused. 

“Adora..I miss you” I whisper into her ear. As I pull away I leave a soft kiss on her forehead. “Wake up soon you dummy.” _I love you._

In the midst of this, the world must move forward, and must rebuild.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's going on in Adora's mind while she's unconscious? How is Catra dealing with this time without her?  
> Keep reading to find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Implied Character Deaths
> 
> Adora needs a hug.

Adora

It’s desolate, wherever I am, there are no signs of life. I can feel the ash coating my palms. It smells of fire and despair. Everywhere I look it's grey and black. The only light coming from the 3 moons and stars. WIth the minimal light I can see the remnants of what was a forest. It almost looks like what would have been the whispering woods...

“Where am I?” I try to rack my brain for any memory that could lead me here. The last thing Remember is passing light hope heading towards the heart. 

I decide to start walking. Maybe the surroundings could give me a hint as to where I am. There really is no life here. Stepping out into a clearing, there’s an old village. What used to be buildings are now stubs of charred wood. There’s a stench coming from one of the areas. I don’t dare go near it for fear of what I may find. 

The panic starts setting in. The trees are burned, cracks look as though they continue for miles. Squinting in the distance I see what looks like a Horde Prime spire. Shit. My brain starts running a mile a minute. _What happened here? Where am I? Where’s Catra? Glimmer? Bow?_

I run. 

Reaching my hand out I call for the sword. _Focus._

“For the….” The streaks of the sword start appearing in front of me. The gold glow brings some familiar warmth. Then… nothing.

“No…She-ra” I exasperated. Trying once more, I can’t summon even a streak of magic. 

Taking a deep breath I prepare myself to continue forward. Walking, for what feels like days I reach the spire. It looks old, abandoned. _How long has this been here?_ Taking one step at a time, I investigate the outside of the spire. Horde clones scatter the area. Some in body piles, others slumped over rocks and fallen into the cracks. Robots and Robot scraps litter the area. _Must have been one hell of a fight._ No one could have survived, right? 

I kept walking around. No trees, there are some scattered bushes, but mostly the ground was covered in rubble. 

_Beep. Beep._

That god damned beeping. _Where is it coming from?_ I thought. Moving forward the beeping increased in volume. 

_Beep. Beep._

Walking close to one of the edges, I feel the ground starting to shake. Jumping away, I barely missed the wall collapsing into itself. Standing up again, I walk towards the spire once more.

Approaching the main door, a bush catches my eye. I see a pink light faintly coming from below it. Clearing the charred leaves, there is an oval esc shaped piece of metal. It’s a tracking pad. Pretty beat up, The screen is cracked, but I can make out a small pink symbol, I could make out a peace sign within it. 

“Entrapta….” The pad fell from my hands. 

“No, no. It can’t be” In a frenzy I sprint into the spire with no idea where to go. 

“I can’t be here, this can’t be, I-I-I failed? Etheria.. It fell, it’s gone.” 

\-----------

Catra 

Since she’s been out, I always 1. Sleep at the foot of her bed, and 2. Tell her about what is happening in Etheria, about what she’s been missing. 

“Hey Adora,” I feel the back of my neck. Melog hops on the bed and lays next to Adora. Sitting next to her yearning to hear her voice kills me. I yearn to see her smile. Even her stupid hair poof. 

“I don’t know if you can hear me. You’ve been asleep for about a month now. We… I… really miss you. You and your gorgeous blue eyes, your infectious laugh, and infuriating hero complex. You always reminded me of hope.” I brush a small strand of hair behind her ear. I pause and her facial expression seems to change from calm to distressed. I grab ahold of her hand. She seems to calm back down immediately. 

“Glimmer convinced me to spend some of my time helping rebuild villages. There are villages that are welcoming old horde soldiers. They’re giving them a chance to do right. You would be proud. Glimmer and Bow are working so hard to bring Etheria back together. I am working to be better for the world. Some are still apprehensive about an ex-Horde leader helping them, but I think I am gaining more trust.” _I am redeeming myself. For all the hurt I have brought._ “Glimmer says I am a hero for helping you with the fail safe. I sure don’t feel like one.”

“Mermista and Sea Hawk have headed home. Only after burning one or two boats. Frosta headed home, Micah went to help at Mystacor, but should be back soon to help sparkles be queen. Scorpia and Perfuma headed back to the Fright Zone. They’re going to rebuild Scorpia’s kingdom. Even with everything I’ve done, they have all forgiven me. I don’t deserve it. I hurt people, I don’t deserve.. You.” The tears are at the corner of my eyes, just about to spill over.

“Though Frosta still exclaims that she doesn’t like how my face looks. Perfuma has been helping me work through the more negative emotions. So.. like.. All of them. She swears by meditation and nature. Always sends me back to you with a new kind of tea. She has me working on apologizing and starting to forgive myself for what I have done. Adora.. They’re all always asking about you. The world… they miss She-Ra. Almost everyone asks where she went. Why she isn’t helping rebuild. Glimmer tries to explain, but they’re feeling abandoned. tsk.” Pissed off, I have to stand to continue speaking. I start pacing the room.

“It’s not like they’re not grateful, but it’s like why, why can’t they see you’re hurt too? Why can’t they give you a break? Why don’t they care that it’s you laying there. Adora you’re.. Hurt too.” I relax back into the seat, grabbing her hand again. “Please come back to me. I don’t know how to do this withou…..”

“Catra?” Glimmer pokes her head through the door. 

“What do you want?” I snapped. Fangs bared, glaring at Glimmer, she continued into the room. 

“How is she?” Her eyes dipped down, the mood dropped even more. 

Grabbing Adora’s hand once more, I look at Glimmer. “As silent as ever. Who knew she would ever be the silent type?” 

“She looks like she’d spring awake at any second ready to fight anyone and anything in her way.” She takes a deep breath, “I miss her.” She said sitting down next to me. 

“Yea, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this calm while sleeping. Even back in the fright zone, you should have seen some of the faces she would make while sleep fighting.” I turn towards Glimmer, pushing out my lips, squinting my left eye, and sticking my tongue out. I couldn’t hold it for long after we both started laughing. 

“She’ll wake up, she’ll come back to us.” Glimmer always reassures me. “Come grab some dinner.”

“I’ll be out in a minute. I haven’t finished telling her about my day, about what has been going on without her.” I give a weak smile to Glimmer as she leaves the room. 

I turn back towards Adora. “Swifty spends most of his time with Razz. He comes back every few days and sits next to you. I’m sure he does the same as I do, rambling on about the happenings of the world. I met Razz the night you collapsed. I know I told you already, but maybe you wanted to hear it again? Entrapta has been continuing to investigate the remaining Horde technology. She’s upgraded Darla quite a bit. Hordak has continued to be her lab partner. We keep a close eye on him, but he hasn’t tried to conquer any of Etheria since you freed him. Wrong hordak has taken up baking. Ha Ha. I know right? Who would have thought. Melog stays by my side like always. So, I’m not completely alone. I don’t know if you’ll be able to hear me say it again, but I love you Adora, I always have and always will. 

I stand up to place a kiss on her forehead. Just before I can show my affection, the doors barged open. This time, It wasn’t Glimmer. 

\------------- 

Adora

Running through the many halls of the spire, I can’t get the idea of them being gone out of my head. _Glimmer.... Bow.... Micah.... Scorpia….Everyone..._ My breath hitches. Clutching my chest, I drop to my knees. ….. _Catra_ …. I can’t stop the tears at this point. 

“I-i-it’s all … my.. Fault”

Shoving the grief down, I stand and keep moving forward. _I need to know exactly what happened here. Was it it Heart?_

“Server room.. Server room..” Passing door after door. “Ah! Here we are.” 

I am not very good with techy stuff - that was always Entrapta’s department. Fiddling with buttons, I finally get some sort of video.

_Horde Prime has Entrapta. Clutching her by the top of her pigtails he glances below at the remaining rebellion. The rest of the princesses were freed from the chips, They’re fighting back!_

_“Rejoice, Etheria, For your end has Finally come!” Prime yells clenching his fist. “You have chosen Darkness, and so in darkness you shall be plunged!”_

_The world starts cracking open. Spires of green energy shoot from the ground. The fear apparent on the rebellion’s faces. The Heart.. He got it. He’s taking control of Etheria._

_“The world will end in Fire.”_

The spire must have been hit, because the video cuts out on the terrified faces of Bow and Glimmer while they’re holding each other desperately. 

“The failsafe…. Didn’t work.” I touch the screen above me with shaking hands. “Bow… Glimmer… I-i’m sorry…” No words could even begin to describe the ache in my heart. My friends, everyone I have ever loved. Gone. Tear pour. LIke the waterfalls in Brightmoon. Never ending. My heart is shattered. 

“Ah She-Ra. Such a shame they had to die for peace. They’re a stepping stone for the greater goal.” Whipping my head around I see where the voice protruded from. Wiping the tears from my face. Looking back at the door, there he stood. Horde Prime. His green eyes piercing through me like daggers. I can see the satisfaction in his eyes. Disgusting. 

Anger. All I can see is red. “YOU. YOU KILLED THEM.” _I killed them. I wasn’t here._

Clenching my jaw, I reach for the nearest weapon-like object. I clutch the sharp metal hard enough to draw blood from my hand. Taking a deep breath I charged. 

“You destroyed everything” _I should have been here! I should have stopped him!_ I stab. In my haste, I miss the first strike. Kicking upwards I aim again for his face. In one swift movement he blasts me backwards. _Engh._ Standing up, I charge again. This time going for his legs. He barely moves before I get Kicked back again. His neck. I need to go for the neck. 

I focus with all my will power… “For the Honor of….” _She-Ra is nowhere to be found._

_Shit._

“Aren’t you wondering where _your_ Catra is?” Prime smirks. Hands set behind his back. 

Hesitating, breath caught in my lungs, he grabs me as I go at him once more. Clasping my neck, I can’t shake him off. I push at his grasp. Kick with all the strength left in my legs. I try to pry his strange hands off of me. 

Through my teeth, “Where is she? Where is Catra?” 

“Look for yourself..” He snaps his fingers. Turning me towards the console. On the screen I can see her… Catra. 

She’s covered in soot. Melog lays beside her. Unmoving _What happened? How long has she been like that?_

“What did you do to her?!?” I hiss. Grasping his hand. 

“What did I do? Now, Now, what I did is bring peace to the universe. You.. You’re the one who left your friends.” Prime lets go of my throat.

 _I did. I wasn’t there._ Landing on the metal surface I feel my neck, gasping for air to fill my empty lungs. I have little to no energy left in my body. Everyone, I failed everyone.I managed to stand myself up. My hair falling out of the pony tail, a mess of blond resting on my shoulders. 

“What are you going to do with me?” I direct at Horde Prime. _Whatever he does, I deserve it._

“Why nothing. I’ll let you waste away on this desolate wasteland. I’ll let your own guilt consume you. I’ll let you resign yourself to your loneliness. I’ll let you live with the knowledge that this was all your fault.” Horde prime chuckles as he teleports himself off of what was Etheria. 

_________

Catra

“Catra!!” Entrapta bursts through the doors. Hordak and Emily close behind her. 

“Why does everyone keep interrupting me tonight?!” I growl. Claws ready for war. 

“Being in Primes Spire has been EYE opening. There’s so much there. I’ve been able to use a lot of it to upgrade Darla. Eheh!” Entrapta rambles on. 

“What are you here for Entrapta?” I try to remain as calm as possible. 

“Oh! Right! I was looking at the server room to see if we could get any data on other worlds and SPACE!! I came across a small signal that was coming into the ship. Tracing the signal..” She raises her antenna with her hair. “.. and it lead me here. It seems to be strongest near Adora. Hmm.” 

“What do you mean? Did Horde Prime do something to Adora?!” I was getting desperate. I grab onto Entrapta, clenching her chest plate in my hands. 

“Well I’ll have to run some more tests, but it seems as if a part of Horde Prime is in her.” I drop her as she finishes her last words. “It’s trying to signal the clones I think.” She finishes. 

Not waiting a second longer for any other information, I sprint to the dining area. I was going so fast, I almost annihilated the doors to the common area. 

“Sparkles, Bow!” Not noticing Scorpia and Perfuma had joined them for dinner, I continue, “We think we might know what’s wrong with Adora!” 

“What?!?” All four of them scream in unison. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope to update again soon! Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang discovers what is happening with Adora. Can they figure out a way to help her or will this be a fight Adora has to fight on her own? With Adora stuck in the post war Etheria of Horde Prime’s making, how is she coping? How will she deal with the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Thanks for the love. I hope to update twice a week in the future. Probs around Tuesdays and Saturdays! Anyway enjoy the new chapter! Adora will get a hug I promise
> 
> TW: Implied Character Death

\-----------

Catra

“Okay, If it is Horde Prime, or some remnant of him, What can we do to remove him or it from him?” Glimmer asks Entrapta. Everyone’s ears are sharply tuned towards Entrapta and Hordak. 

“Well... that part I am not sure about. We definitely got some Horde signal coming from her, but we don’t know where it is in her body, or if it is something we can even remove.” 

“What do you mean? We may not be able to get it out of her?” I exclaim. We have to remove it. 

“I will have to do more research. In the meantime, it does not seem to have any affect on her body’s state. So she should be fine according to my data.” Entrapta stares at her techpad. 

The silence in the room is deafening. I can’t take it. I push myself upwards and start walking towards the door. “We have to save her as soon as possible.”

“Entrapta and I will head to the Fright zone to see if we can find anything to help Adora.” Hordak spoke. No one was expecting a sound from him. He has not spoken much to anyone besides Entrapta since he’s been back. 

_Tsk._

“We’ll come with you.” Scorpia pipes up. “Perfuma and I can help.” 

It was good to hear Scorpia’s support for them in the Fright zone. I couldn’t stay any longer for my own sanity. I walked out of the dining area. Leaving the doors intact this time. I need some air. 

Walking through the halls of Brightmoon can be some of the loneliest times for me. They’re so tall and wide. They make me feel insignificant and out of place. The Fright zone is..was my home. There the creaking of the metal walls gave some comfort. Knowing Adora was lying unconscious in one of the rooms made the castle even harder to feel comfort in. I finally find the door leading into the garden. Luckily there is no one else around. I inch towards the edge of the garden and lay facing the stars. 

_I wonder what’s going on inside that head of yours princess. I hope you don’t forget that I’m here waiting for you. That I love you. I need you to come back to me Adora, I don’t care about She-Ra, just you. The world may not need She-ra much anymore, but I still need my Adora._

_Nothing feels okay without you. Truth is, I’m scared. I’m scared you won’t wake up. I’m scared of being alone again. I’m scared that some other threat will come and take the peace. I’m scared everyone will turn against me without you here. You never gave up on me, but they don’t know me like you did. What if they do? I’m trying, I really am._

“Hey there wildcat.” I turn towards Scorpia,sitting up I bring my knees to my chest and wrap my tail over my feet. “Can I sit?” She asks. 

“I can’t stop you.” I reply. Hugging myself tighter. We sit together in silence. “Scorpia..” I look in her direction. She seems enamored with the stars. 

“We never got to see skies like this in the Fright Zone. We missed so much being stuck there.” Scorpia has always been a kind positive soul. She never should have suffered by the horde’s hands… by my hands. 

“I’m sorry Scorpia. I’m Sorry for how I treated you, I was such a bad friend to you. I am so sorry.” I just hope she can see how much I regret how I treated her. “I have no excuses for what I did. But, I can start working towards being a good friend to you, If you’d let me…?” 

“I forgave you long ago, wildcat. It’s good you’re working towards being the person I know you are. I want to be a part of it. Hugs?” She reaches her claws out ward waiting for my reply. For the first time, I willingly entered one of her big Scorpia hugs. 

After a bit, we separated. She decided she wanted to get ready to leave in the morning with Entrapta, Hordak and Perfuma. The last thing she said before she left the garden was, “She loves you Wildcat, don’t forget that. She’ll wake up and come back to you.”

I returned to Adora about an hour later. Melog meets me at the door. “S _he’s been moving around a bit more since you left_ ” He says. I immediately ran to her, worried that things may be worse than we thought before. 

But right now, she seems okay. Exhausted, I lay at the foot of her bed, hoping to get some sleep. 

  
  


__________

Adora

The spire is empty now. Just me and my thoughts. I feel like a zombie. Out of my own body. There are so many emotions running through me that I can’t feel a single one of them. Laying on the metal floor I can’t help but think of Catra, of the Princess alliance. _Were they scared?_

Exhaustion takes over and I drift into sleep. 

_Staring into the waterfall I can feel the longing for peace. I hear a clamering of footsteps outside the door._

_“Just let me brush it!” Glimmer called as the doors behind her were opened. Raising a purple brush in the air._

_“No!” Catra burst in, fleeing to hide herself behind me and avoid the sparkling queen._

_I feel a sense of despair growing in me, but it dissipates at the touch of Catra dancing around me._

_“Don’t let her touch me, she’s gonna torture me!” Catra’s hands moved around my shoulders as she circled her. Hiding behind my shoulders, there's a comfort in her intimacy._

_“Do you always have to be this dramatic?” Glimmer chided playfully._

_Not a second later Bow had joined them. “Come on, guys. If we’re late to Scorpia’s first ball, she’s gonna kill us.” Bow placed a hand on Glimmer’s shoulder, and she shifted into his embrace with a lighthearted smile. They’re each wearing one of Angella’s earrings._

_“Fine!” Glimmer relented, “You’re off the hook - this time.”_

_Catra gave her response, sticking her adorable little tongue out at Glimmer and pressing even closer over Adora’s shoulder_

_“You coming?” Catra stepped around and turned back to her, offering her hand. I begin to reach for it, just before I reach her hand everything shatters._

_I’m surrounded by green burning energy. Looking towards the source of energy I see a warm gold silhouette. She-Ra. She’s still there. I try to move, I try to run towards her, but I am trapped. I try once more, but as I stretch forward I feel a familiar presence._

_“Adora.. Please…You have to wake up.” I hear Catra plea._

“Catra!” I jolt awake. In a daze, I panic, taking a moment to realize where I am. Wincing at the lingering pain from my fight with Horde Prime I try to stand. I can’t stay here. I take my time leaving the spire. Not daring to look at anything but the spot to take one step forward. 

Days pass as I continue through the once beautiful whispering woods. Barely getting any sleep. I have no place I aim to go. When I do get sleep I have that dream again. Tears find their way easier now. _I miss them. I miss Catra._ When we were fighting, when we were at war, I at least got to see her. To know she was safe. But now… Taking a deep breath, I gaze up at the stars. _I wonder if anyone else survived?_

I manage to make my way to the deepest part of the woods. The magic. It's gone. There isn't any left on Etheria. I decide the least I can for my friends is give them a peaceful resting spot. The next few hours I spend finagling stones into grave stones. Using the metal from the ship I carve into each of them. 

_Glimmer_

_Bow_

_Micah_

_Perfuma_

_Frosta_

_Spinnerella_

_Netossa_

_Scorpia_

_Entrapta_

_Melog_

_…._

I hesitate. 

_… Catra…_

Collapsing to my knees, clutching my chest I scream "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I can't make out any other words. Only tears flow. With every breath I try to rid my body of this emptiness, this blackhole. I can't fathom the pain they were in, the fear they must have felt. _Oh god did Catra even know how much I cared for her?_ Laying next to Catra's stone, I take a deep breath deciding to talk to her. Maybe it would help this hopelessness. 

"Hey Catra… ”

______________

Catra

“Hey Princess…" I take a deep breath, "There’s been little progress in figuring out how to get Prime out of you. Entrapta and Hordak are working hard on it. You've been asleep for about two months now. The healers say you're in perfect health otherwise. I'm not sure if it's Micah's spell or some She-Ra magic. I've been helping Scorpia revamp the Frightzone. It's almost unrecognizable! I'm not sure how many of your secret spots are still there. Ha. Though,I asked her if, in all of her remodeling, if she would keep our perch. It was our place. She's not going to let anything happen to it." I smile at Adora. 

__________

Adora

"The night you left, you asked me what I wanted. I've done a lot of thinking, crying, and wishing. But as much as I wanted to answer you that night, I knew my destiny was to save Etheria, to stop the heart. Not only did I fail in that, I failed everyone. You. I failed you… Catra all I ever really wanted was to be happy, happy with you. I loved you Catra, I still love you, I always have. And I never got to tell you." 

Looking down at my waist I remove my golden pin. Placing it in front of her stone. 

"You know I had this dream, you and me were headed to princess prom. You were dressed so breathtakingly. And on the lapel of your shirt was this pin. You were mine in that dream. Smiling, waiting for me to take your hand. I'll never have that, you'll never smile again or quip at my idiotic ideas. I'm sorry for leaving you, hurting you, I don't regret leaving the horde, fighting Hordak, fighting for Etheria, I'd do it again if I had to. But I regret leaving you behind. I'm sorry Cat-- _ergnh_ \-- AHHHHHH.” 

I am engrossed by green lightning. _It hurts._ I can’t seem to move. Clutching my chest I try to take in breaths. Flashes of Horde Prime taking over my head. _I can’t take this._ Moving to clutch my head. .

“AHHHHHHhhh.” I scream. Laying next to Catra, in immense pain, I lose consciousness. 

_________

Catra 

"Come back to me soon Adora. I love you." Standing once more, I kiss her forehead and get ready to leave for dinner. As I approach the door I sense a magical present behind me. Turning, I see adora glowing in every color imaginable. 

"AHHHHH _erghn" ._ Green lightning starts surrounding her body. _What the hell is happening?!?_

“ADORA!” I grab her, holding her head in my arms “I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay! Melog… Go grab Glimmer and see if they can get entrapta here. NOW!” 

Melog sprints out of the room. “Come one love. You’re strong. You’ll get through this.”

Adora continues to wither in pain. Her back arching as if she’s gasping for air. I hug her tighter, trying to avoid her hurting herself. Tears are forming in the corners of my eyes. 

“Fight him Adora. Don’t you dare give up.” 

“Catra!” Glimmer appears in the room. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know. She just started glowing as if she was changing into She-Ra and then green lightning like stuff started encircling her.”

“We managed to get into contact with Entrapta.” Bow steps in. “She’s on her way here now. She’ll be here soon” 

“I hope so. I don’t know how this is going to affect her.” I say holding Adora close. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora is thrust once again into a fight She didn’t see coming. After confessing how she felt to Catra, will she be able to fight Horde Prime once more? How will Catra and Entrapta work to free Adora after she’s been trapped for two months?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy the chapter! Sorry it's a bit shorter. It was a good ending point for the chapter. Next one should be a bit longer. Enjoy!

Adora

_ “You coming?” Catra stepped around and turned back to her, offering her hand. I begin to reach for it, just before I reach her hand everything shatters.  _ _ I’m surrounded by green burning energy. Looking towards the source of energy I see a warm gold silhouette. She-Ra. She’s still there. I try to move, I try to run towards her, but I am trapped.  _

Waking up. I have a massive migraine. Not only am I sore from whatever happened, I had that dang dream again. I’m reminded of what could have been, if I hadn’t… 

“Ah Adora, That was a beautiful wish you had.” Horde Prime stands before her.  _ Why does this feel like deja vu?  _ “To bad you’re the reason it will never happen. Your love for  _ your Catra _ made you weak"

__________

Catra

Adora has been convulsing and struggling in my grasp. She sounds like she's in so much pain. 

“Readings indicate that the signal Prime has been giving off has increased almost ten fold.” Entrapta strolls in. Her hair has her antennae pointed towards Adora. “ I may not have figured out how to remove Prime from her, but we did develop a containment unit for if we do. Hordak found some data in Prime’s old ship. It's really fascinating.”

“That's fucking great. But she’s hurting now. We need to get that asshat out of her!” I growl. 

Suddenly a large electric charge was sent surging through me. All I see is green. “Arhhh” I was thrown backwards by a familiar hand. My back slammed against the wall, all air knocked out of my lungs. I unleash my claws, ready for a fight. “A-Adora?” I speak looking upward. 

It was terrifying. Standing above us Adora was flashing between a glorious rainbow and envious green. Her eyes glowed green, not the peaceful blue we have come to love. It was apparent She was trying to shift into She-Ra, but something was stopping them. Surrounding herself in green lightning, she was preparing to attack once more. 

“Adora! You have to fight this. Don’t let him control you.” WIth a sly grin Adora sprinted towards us. Ripping the sheets to shreds. Feathers flying around the room provided a nice distraction. Running forward I tackled Adora. At this point, the room is pretty destroyed. Glimmer shot a few glitter bombs, “Stay back! I need to do this. I am not going to lose her again.” I exclaim. “Melog help me.” 

Adora shoved back, adding a few punches into the mix, I staggered backwards. Running to the side Melog camouflaged us as we prepared for our next move. 

__________

Adora

On my hands and knees I gaze up to Horde Prime. “ Why did you come back? To see me in my suffering?”

“Not quite.” He replies. “It seems as though I am unable to leave this desolate wasteland.” Staring at his own hand, he clenches it into a fist. “Nevermind that. How are you fairing?”

“And why would I talk to you?” I spit. 

“I see your attempt at stifling your grief. Rocks. What a filthy waste of Earth.”

“You’re wrong.” I stand. Fists at my sides. “You’re wrong!”

“Ah ha ha ha” He laughed maniacally. “You’re the last of your kind. The last of this world. And I am the one who is wrong? Why little, weak Adora. You are the one who was wrong. You couldn’t protect your friends. You couldn’t save your world. No matter how you tried. You…. failed. You were weak. You believed sacrificing yourself would save the world. That everyone would be happy, even without you. Your love made you weak. Made She-ra useless. “

“No. You’re wrong. She-ra was strong because of love. It is what made her strong. My love for my friends made me brave. My friends pushed me to be better than I was. To protect everyone I cared about is love. You said earlier that my love for Catra made me weak. That’s where you’re wrong. My love for her was the greatest love, greatest happiness I have ever felt. It made me even stronger. That future I wanted. I wanted to be happy with her. She was the reason I never gave up.” I look and glare at Horde Prime. “ She was my strength.” 

____________

Catra

Adora Stalled.  _ Now’s my chance. _ “Arrow Boy, throw me a rope!” Bow threw some rope towards me. Grasping it, I dash towards Adora. Using the second in time given to us, I tie up Adora as best we can to keep her from continuing to attack. 

“Hopefully we’ll have a few minutes.” I look towards the others. “We have to get him out now.” 

“How can we do that? We have no idea how to.” Glimmer states. 

“It’s nothing like when he was chipping people.” Bow adds. 

“Hurr AHHHHHH” Adora splits the rope. 

“I guess our planning time is up.” I say, ready to fight once more. 

\------------

Adora

_ I can feel her again. _ “For the Honor of Grayskull!!!!” Transforming into She-Ra again felt empowering. I can see the fear on Horde Prime's face, but only for a moment as he hides behind a glare.

“I may have to be alone on Etheria, but the love I have for them, for Catra, will never leave. I will pay for the consequences of my failure. But I will not stand for you. I will finish you where you stand.” 

I sway my sword slashing the air. In one push I throw the majestic energy towards Prime. He sprints to the side and comes toward me. I slash once more. Hitting him in the chest. I can smell the green fluid coming from his body. Grabbing his head I put all my energy into expelling whatever creature he is. After a swelling of golden warmth, I step away and detransform. 

Prime’s body is coated in golden light. After a minute it starts dissipating into golden dust balls. “Good Riddance. I’m so tired of fighting” I whisper as I collapse next to Catra’s grave, losing consciousness once more. 

__________

Catra

“Welp, let’s see how this goes. Bow, Have any other restraints?” I ask why dodging another punch from Adora. 

“Ah ah no,” He replies. “Look out!” He shouts as a kick comes my way. I didn’t have enough time to dodge and got hit in my stomach. Sliding to the side I spit out a bit of bile that came up. 

“Come on Adora! Fight this!” In that moment she froze. She dropped to her knees grabbing her stomach. Her hands move toward her face. I can see her nails dig into her cheek. I can smell the blood being drawn. Lurching forward I pry her hands from her face and clutch them in mine. Her head turns straight up in an almost inhuman way. Screaming, her eyes glow blue and her mouth glows green. 

“Entrapta! Be ready if anything is to happen!” I yell backwards. 

“You got it!” She replies

“Adora! I have you, it's going to be okay.” Adora’s screaming. You can hear the pain creep its way out of her. Tears are flowing down her face mixing with the blood on its way down. She shoves me back as a black entity starts emerging from her mouth. She sounds as if she's choking on whatever is trying to stay within her. 

“That’s Horde Prime!” Entrapta shouts, “I remember from when he came out of Hordak.” 

“Get out of her you fucking asshole!” I cry. Bow and Glimmer stand behind Catra. Terrified of what’s happening to their best friend. I can hear them choking back tears for her. As Prime is shoved out of Adora’s body the room begins to feel warm. It looks as though Adora has started transforming into She-ra. She’s glowing like the galaxies are forming within her. Prime’s body begins to glow in a honey golden color. We watch in awe. Soon the room is filled with golden dust. You can feel the love and magic stored within each particle. 

Adora has detransformed and starts falling towards the floor. In a split second I am holding her close to my chest checking her breathing and her heartbeat. As I lift my head, and cup hers in my hand she begins to awake. 

“Catra?” She whispers. I can tell she has almost no energy. “Y-you’re alive?” She asks tears forming in her eyes.

“Of course I am, you dummy.” Tears are falling down my face at this point. I watch as she takes a shallow breath and falls asleep once more. “No. no, no, Adora, stay awake.” 

The room is filled with silence. No one wanted to break the silence in fear that something else is going to happen. 

Entrapta is the first to speak. “Horde Prime’s signal is gone. Completely” 

Lifting Adora, I ask Glimmer to take us to another room, since this one is trashed. Knowing how much I hate teleporting, she walks us down the hallway. No words are said between us, what could you say? I lay Adora down on the new bed, and begin to treat her wounds. Bow followed after. 

No one left the room and none of us get much sleep that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to try to have 3000+ words from here on out!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora’s awake and trying to figure out what’s going on. Prime is officially gone. Everything is on its way up right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my internship started this week! Things are going to get busy. I hope to still post twice a week, but some weeks I may miss one update. Anyway from here on out it's mostly fluff with some angst mixed in.

Adora

There were no dreams this time. I remember seeing Catra’s face before passing out.  _ Could it really be her? No, they’re all gone. It must be a figment of my imagination. Or Prime trying to torture me again.  _ I can feel the sunlight starting to hit my face. It’s warm. Different from the way the sunlight hit in desolate Etheria. This sunlight felt more hopeful, like the world is going places. I become aware of where I am laying. It’s soft. I feel as though I am sinking into feathers. It’s a far cry from where I have been sleeping this past month. I open my eyes a bit more and I notice two figures sleeping at the foot of the bed. Blinking a few times they come into focus…  _ Catra and Melog.  _

_ No. No. No. This has to be some sort of Prime torture.  _ My breathing starts to quicken. I can hear my pulse in my ears. I can feel my hands beginning to shake. Clutching the blanket, I try to tame my hands. My vision is becoming foggy again, focused solely on Catra’s body.  _ How is this happening? This is wrong. Why would he do this?? _ The heat in my face is growing. Tears are starting to form.  _ I can’t Breathe. I need to get out of here.  _

That’s when the shock hits further.  _ I can’t feel my legs.  _ My panic increases tenfold.  _ Why can’t I move them? What Happened?  _ Catra’s body starts to shift. I can see her become alert. She was next to me before I could register that she was moving. 

“Breathe Adora.” She grabbed my hand and put it on her chest. “Follow my breathing.” 

I really try to. I try to follow, but everything is too much. “No. No. You can’t be real” I manage to squeak out. I jolt my hand away and grasp my head. Closing my eyes as tightly as possible.

“You, Y-you were dead. P-P-Prime must be torturing me somehow.” I take a pause. Not realizing the others in the room were near my bed now. Bow and Glimmer were here too. 

“Back away! She needs space.” I hear Catra growl. 

“W-why can’t...can’t.. I feel my legs?” I cried. This time Catra cups my head. Pulling it to her chest. 

“We’ll figure that out. For now, we’re alive Adora. We’re here for you. Just focus on my breathing. Follow it.” Catra calmly pets my hair. I can’t help but relax into her. My breathing steadies and my heart slows down. But, I can’t stop crying. I grab on to Catra as tightly as possible for fear she’ll disappear at any second. Letting her purr lull me into comfort. I know it was a long time until we parted, I didn’t want to let go. 

“Glimmer, can you see if your Dad and some healers are available to look at her legs?” Catra speaks up. I had forgotten they were in the room. 

“Yea definitely.” She said. I could see the tears in her eyes. “Come on bow, let's give them some space.” Just before they teleported away she said, “We’re really happy your back Adora.” Then poof, sparkles remained where they once were. 

I felt as though I had little to no voice. I didn’t know what to say.  _ I still don’t think this is real, but I am going to try to enjoy it while it lasts.  _ I close my eyes and take in all of Catra. Her sweet smell. Her soft fur.  _ I missed this.  _ Looking up we make eye contact. She has such beautiful eyes, I could stare at them for the rest of my life. I could see the relief in her eyes. She has the smallest tears protruding from the corners of her eyes, she’s trying not to cry. 

“Hey, Adora.” She says softly. I back out of her embrace and sit myself up. “What’s wrong?” She asks.  _ Obviously A LOT is wrong, but I can’t tell her that.  _ Taking a deep breath, I decide I want to tell her at least part of why I am broken. 

“I thought you were dead.” I say pushing back the tears. I stare at my hands, I don’t think I could bear what her face is showing. “And now you aren’t. I don’t know if this is some sick trick Prime is trying to pull, or if it’s actually happening, that you’re actually here. But there are things I need to tell you before this all disappears, if it will.” I pause. 

“Catra, I love you. I always have. I was so afraid you would have never known. That you had died alone and scared, never knowing that I had loved you through everything. Even when we were fighting.” I looked up at her once more. I couldn’t keep contact for long. I was crying at this point. “I had to take the failsafe, to save Etheria. I didn’t think I got to choose what I wanted. But it was you. All I ever wanted was to be with you, to be happy with you. Catra I won’t ever leave you again.” 

Catra raised her hand and cupped my cheek. She pulled my chin so that I was forced to make eye contact with her. She kissed me so softly. My chest bubbled with warmth, with happiness. “You’re here, I am alive, and I am not going anywhere. You don’t have to tell me what happened while you were asleep --”

“Asleep?” I interrupt. 

“Adora, you were unconscious for two months. Following our defeat of Horde Prime.” Catra says. 

“T-Th-Th-That can’t be possible. I remember walking into the ruins with Bow and Glimmer. And then waking up in front of Horde Prime on Etheria. But Etheria was desolate and everyone was dead. I failed and everyone died.” By breath starts to quicken again. My vision is going fuzzy. Before it could get bad, Catra calmed me once more. 

“So you don’t remember anything?” Catra asked. Almost disappointed. 

Before I could reply, the doors to the room opened once more. It was Micah, Glimmer, Bow, and two other sorcerers. Catra began to shift off the bed. I didn’t want her to leave my side. I grabbed her arm as she moved. “Stay.” I pleaded. She looked at me so softly and sat back down. 

“It is good to see you awake Adora.” Micah said. I tried my best to smile, but I had my doubts. “We’re going to see what may be wrong with your legs. It could be something that resulted from yesterday’s fight, or a side effect from the magic used to keep you healthy while you were asleep.”

“Wait, I fought you guys?” I exasperated. 

“Shh, we can talk about it after, I promise.” Catra told me. I don’t think I could have handled much more than what has already happened, so I left it there. 

Catra Laid me back down, but still stayed as close as possible while they did their magic. I felt like they were working for hours. They were unable to tell what was causing the paralysis. They said that if it was the magic then it should wear off in a few days. No one wanted to mention the other option. Bow came prepared and brought me a wheelchair so I could leave the room if I wanted. Everything was so overwhelming. I have no Idea what to think, what to believe. Looking up I made eye contact with Bow and Glimmer. 

“Hey guys. I’ve missed you.” Tearing up again, I sit myself back up and raise my arms. Almost immediately they were in my arms giving me the best friend squad signature hug. 

As we all stop crying, I feel the weight of everything that has happened settle on my mind.  _ I’m exhausted.  _ “I think I am going to get some rest. I feel exhausted.” I said. 

Bow and Glimmer left the room leaving Catra, Melog and I. Melog decided that was the best time to come a lick my face. “Ha ha ha. I missed you too Melog.” I say petting his head. He then decided he wanted some time outside and left the room. 

“Catra?” I say starting to drift off. 

“I’m here princess.” She replies, petting my head. “Don’t worry I’ll wake you up for dinner. You must be starving.”

“I love you.” I say before I drift off into sleep. 

\----------

Catra

“I love you too,” I reply. Knowing she didn’t hear me, I kissed her forehead. 

After I knew she was sound asleep, I decided to go find Glimmer. I had to talk to her about Adora’s memory. I meandered around the castle until I spotted her through one of the windows. She was walking around the outdoor gardens. 

“Sparkles!” I shout to get her attention. 

“Oh! Catra, What’s up?” She asked, obviously confused as to why I was looking for her. 

“I wanted to talk to you about Adora.” I gestured for her to sit next to me on a nearby bench. “She has no memory as to what happened after you went into the ruins to stop the heart. On top of that she wholeheartedly believes this is some sort of trick Prime is playing on her. We were all dead in whatever it was that she experienced. She hasn’t told me much more than that. And I don’t want to press.” I make eye contact with Glimmer. Trying to hide the fear I am feeling.  _ I am afraid she’s going to go to sleep again and this time never wake up.  _

“But Prime is gone. Like completely this time.” Glimmer exclaims. 

“I know, but I don’t think she knows, let alone believes that.” I reply. 

“Hm, we’ll have to work to get through to her then. We’ll think of a way. You should get back to her incase she wakes up.”

“Yea you’re right. Thanks Sparkles.” I give a soft smile and start my walk back to the room when Adora is. 

I spent the walk back thinking through everything that’s occurred in the past 24 hours. It was a short walk and my thoughts were cut short by some muffled cries. I rush through the doors and see Adora having a nightmare. As I approach the bed she shoots upward gasping for air. 

“Hey, I’m here Adora. It’s okay. You’re safe.” I say rubbing her shoulder. She looked at me with such terror in her eyes. “I promise.” She lurches forward and hugs me. 

“Was it a nightmare?” I ask. She just nods into my cest. I can feel my shirt beginning to get wet. “Do you want to talk about it?” This time she stills. 

“No.” She states. She pulls away from the hug. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Of course we can. You know I think the other princesses would really like to see you. Everyone has missed you so much. Especially me.” I start rambling. “Do you want to see the others?”

“Maybe not yet. I don’t know if I am ready for that.” Adora sighs. 

“That’s totally okay. We’ll take everything one step at a time.” 

_ GLurglE _

“Listening to your stomach. How about we start with dinner? I should just be me, Bow, Sparkles, and Micah.” I chuckle. 

“Yea that sounds good.” She begins to shuffle. Neither of us remember the massive elephant in the room. “Oh.” She says. “I forgot about not being able to move.” 

I moved over to the wheeled chair tha Bow brought us. Bringing it near the bed I lifted Adora up and moved her to the chair. I grabbed a small blanket and placed it over top of her legs. 

“There, how do you feel?” I ask. No reply.  _ Stupid. Bad question to ask.  _ I move and crouch in front of her. Placing my hand over hers, I look up into her beautiful blue eyes. It looks almost as though she’s lost a bit of herself. They’re not as bright as they used to be. 

“I want you to know, and I’ll always reassure you of this, I am here, I am alive, and I am not leaving your side. I am here to listen when you need me to, to be a shoulder for you to cry on. I know everything is overwhelming, and terrifying. Like everything could disappear at any second, but it won't. It's real. I love you Adora. We’ll get through this.” I cup her cheek and kiss her forehead. “Now, lets get dinner.” 

I start rolling her out of the room. Passing the room mirror, she’s smiling and there’s a bit more brightness in her eyes. 

We reached the doors to the dining area, and we could hear the voices of everyone inside. “You ready?” I ask her. 

I heard her take a deep breath. “Yeah. Let’s do this.” 

I asked the guards to push the doors open. I pushed Adora into the dining area and the room fell silent. I had no idea what to do really. So I wheeled her to the table and promptly left to grab us both something to eat. 

“Soooo,” I hear Adora start. “That was one long power nap huh? What’d I miss?”

I can’t help but chuckle. Micah laughed, but I can see the confusion on Glimmer and Bow’s faces. I walk back over with our food.  _ Glergle.  _ Her stomach sounded again. This time everyone started laughing as Adora became flustered shoving food into her mouth. I can’t help but stare at her.  _ She’s so beautiful.  _ My heart flutters and I feel the warmth growing in my chest. It was good to have her back. 

Over dinner Glimmer and Bow had so much excitement in telling Adora how Etheria had changed while she was asleep. They talked about the rebuilding of all the kingdoms. How the kingdoms were welcoming ex-Horde soldiers if they were willing to change for the better. How Entrapta, Hordak and wrong Hordak were using all of Prime’s tech to better all the cities. They talked of how all the people were celebrating She-Ra for saving the world. At the sound of She-Ra, Adora’s face turned a bit sour. I am unsure why. 

Interrupting them Adora asks, “What happened to the Fright Zone?” They go on to explain Scorpia taking over and renovating the area to rebuild her kingdom. A lot of ex-Horde soldiers decided to stay there, they noted. Adora smiled at that. It felt like things were looking up. 

We finished up dinner, Bow, Glimmer, and Micah wished us well for the night as we left the dining hall. 

“That seemed to go well.” I said looking down at Adora. 

“Yea.” She replied. “It’s good to hear that everyone is prospering.” There wasn’t much expression on Adora’s face. I can’t quite tell what she is thinking. 

“Hey, instead of going back to the bedroom, why don’t we go watch sunset from the garden?” Taking a left turn, I head out to the garden.

We get outside and Adora’s face lights up in wonder. She’s looking all around, almost baffled by the way Etheria was. Tears are falling down her perfect face, a hand covers her mouth. 

“You did this Adora, you freed Etheria’s magic. It’s beautiful” I sit next to her and hold her free hand. 

“This can’t be real.”Is all she makes out. 

“It is, love, I promise” After that we didn’t talk as the sun set. The world filled with purples, pinks, orange and every color in between. The birds rose from the whispering woods caressing the sky like it was an ocean and they were swimming effortlessly. The whispering woods turned from a lavender purple and green to a dark blue and turquoise. As the sun finished setting, the moons rose. They placed themselves perfectly amongst the billions of stars. Along with the stars, the magic came. Puffs of magic surrounded us. You could feel the warmth of the planet. I couldn’t help but stare at her. The warm glow lit up her face like nothing else could. She reached for one of the puffs, as if it reminded her of a distant memory. 

At that moment, Melog joined us. He nuzzled my leg and shrank to the size of a house cat. He went and laid on Adoras lap. Even though she was enthralled in the magic around her, she placed her hand on his body, petting him softly. I didn’t want this moment to end. I can’t help but wonder what is going on through her head. Is she scared, relieved, happy? Regardless, I make a promise to myself. I will protect her, help her, and be by her side for the rest of our lives. 

________

Adora

I was surrounded by warmth. By magic, and it felt welcoming. Like I was finally home. Melog decided to lay in my lap, Catra holding my hand, Catra loving me like I do her. This couldn’t be more perfect. 

_ A flash.  _

_ “A beautiful wish really.” I can hear Prime’s voice. “But not for you.” _

My breath hitched, I could feel myself tense up. Melog shifted, and Catra looked at me worried that something was wrong. I don’t want to admit that I am terrified this isn’t real. I don’t want to admit that I am afraid to fall asleep only to wake up next to her grave again. I don’t want to admit how weak I really am. So I smile. At first it was a reassurance for her that I am alright, but it turned into a smile of longing. I have missed her so much, after all the fighting, the fear of loss, I am finally home. With Catra. It’s all I ever wanted. I don’t even care about my legs anymore, I could go the rest of my life with no feeling and be the happiest because of her. But there’s this panic, fear, and disbelief nagging at my entire being. 

“ _ Your Catra is dead and it’s your fault” Prime says slyly.  _

“Are you ready to head to bed?” Catra asks. 

“Can we stay out here for a bit longer?” I reply. She nods and kisses my knuckles. I can hear a small purr coming from her.  _ God. I love that sound. _

“Catra,” I pause, waiting for her to look at me. “I love you.”

“I love you too, I always have.” She says with such conviction that I believe for just a second that this Etheria is the real deal.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra takes Adora around Etheria. Visiting kingdoms and some nostalgic places. Adora struggles with sleeping and accepting where she is now. Catra, ever supportive, tries her best to help Adora. Fluff ensues. This chapter will be more Catra POV heavy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my schedule got a bit hectic, so I am going to try to post once a week, hopefully around Tuesdays. Anyway, the fic is going to be around 9 chapters with and Epilogue, So 10 Total. It's all planned out from here. So I hope you enjoy!!

Catra

A week later, Adora and I started packing for our trip. We designed a pack for Melog to wear as we traveled. He offered to help carry some food and other gear for us. Adora has been showing signs of improving, she hasn’t yet been able to tell me what her nightmares are about. But she’s smiling more. She doesn’t seem as distant. I can tell she still doesn’t believe this is real, but she’s taking in what she can. 

“Are you sure you should be going out when she is in the chair?” Glimmer asks. Just above a whisper so Adora didn’t hear. 

“Yea, we’ll be fine sparkles. Entrapta rigged that thing up so we can go almost anywhere. Hell I think it even has a tiny food compartment somewhere.” I chuckle. “Plus I think it may be good for her to see all the good she’s done here, and for us to just have some time together.” I look over at Adora talking to Swift Wind. 

Walking over I get part of their conversation. “Why haven’t you tried transforming into She-Ra, maybe she can heal your legs.” Swiftwind Asks. 

“It’s not like I can’t, Swifty, It’s more like I don’t feel as though I deserve to get any better. A-And I know that’s stupid, but I can’t get it out of my head that this is all some fantasy or dream that I’ll wake up from if I transform.” Adora huffs. I place my hand on her shoulder and place a reassuring pressure on her. She placed her hand on top of mine, looked up at me and gave me a sad smile. 

“It’s okay Adora, I know we’ll prove to you this is all real.” Swift Wind said. “You enjoy the trip with Catra okay? You know you can call me if you need me.”

“I will, thanks Swifty.” Adora said. Placing her forehead on his, and scratching his chin. 

“Ready to go love?” I ask softly. 

“Yea, I’m ready for whatever that thick head of yours has planned.” She joked. 

“Haha, I don’t think you are, princess,” I snipe back. I move behind her and set us off toward Glimmer and Bow. 

“Bye guys, We’ll be back soon.” Adora says. 

“You relax, okay? Have a bit of fun!” Glimmer fusses over Adora. Bow wraps his arm around Glimmer. 

“We’ll really miss you guys.” He says. 

With that we headed out on our trip. My goal for this trip is to convince her that this is real, and she deserves to be happy. With a bit of hope that she’ll remember what happened when we were in the heart.  _ Shit.  _ I just remembered. _ If she can’t remember, she doesn’t know Shadow Weaver is dead.  _ That is something new we’ll have to address as we come to it. 

We exit Brightmoon and delve into the Whispering woods. Our first stop on our trip is to Erelandia. It takes a few days to get there, but they were calm days. Adora and I had fun on our way. She insisted that she rolled herself most of the time, trying to get used to being in that chair. Plus it wasn’t bad on the definition of her biceps. Nights camping in the Woods were my favourite. We’d talk about the stars and the other worlds outside our own. Adora seemed calm, even a bit happy. She began telling me about the Star siblings and their trek to get fuel crystals. She laughed at how Bow thought she was ‘going towards the light.’ Adora insisted we slept outside, so she could sleep under the stars. She didn’t panic at night, but her nightmares took her a few times. She never wanted to talk about them which is alright, but hopefully she’ll open up about it soon. 

We arrived at the city. Adora seemed genuinely happy to see it thriving after the war. 

“We should go visit that shop lady!” Adora exclaims. Lucky for her, I knew they were having a festival this week. We entered the city, houses and businesses were towering over the sides of the walkway. Before we knew it, word had spread that She-Ra was in town. Soon residents were all over us, thanking us for saving their town and Etheria. I looked down at Adora, she had a pleasant smile on her face, but the tension in her shoulders and slight tremble in her hands said otherwise. 

I kept us walking forward, not wanting to disappoint anyone, we both smiled and waved at everyone. Soon a voice spoke up. “Now, Now everyone. I am sure they are tired from traveling. Give them space, I am sure you’ll see them later tonight at the festival.”

Both of us turned our heads towards the voice. It was the shopkeeper saving our asses. She gestured for us to follow her. 

“Sorry about that.” She started. “Everyone has eagerly been waiting for She-Ra's return. I am sure the celebration tonight will be even bigger than originally planned now. I’m sure you both are tired. There is an inn right next door to my shop. You all can stay there.” She motioned us next door. 

“Thank you,” I said. Still a bit baffled about what was happening. 

“See you tonight hopefully” She said as her shop door closed behind her. 

Taking a deep breath I take Adora and I into the inn. “Hello there heroes! I heard you were in town. How can I help you?” The Innkeep asked. 

“Do you have a room available for the two of us, preferably on this floor.” I replied. 

“Sure do. Here is the key, second door on your right, right down that hallway. On the house.” He smiled. 

“You sure?” I asked quizzically. 

“Of course!” He bellowed. I decided to leave it at that. Nodding a thank you, I take us down the hall. Once in the room, Melog jumps right on the bed shedding everything he’s been carrying. I meander to Adora’s side. Crouching down, I grab her hand softly. She looks down at me with the most beautiful eyes. 

“You alright princess?” I ask. 

“Yea, I was just overwhelmed earlier, that’s all.” She smiles. 

“Want to take a nap?” I ask. “Cuddles included.” I smirked. 

“Yea that will be good I think.” She said. I picked her up and laid her down in our bed. Once she was comfortable I moved myself next to her, laying on my back, Adora nestles into my chest. I rubbed small circles into her back and hum an old tune I picked up from Perfuma. Within minutes she was asleep. After watching her and listening to her breaths, I let sleep take me as well. 

We slept for a few hours. I woke up to Adora mumbling, and tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry Catra.” Unsure of what she was apologizing for, I hugged her tight and rubbed her arm. 

“Adora, babe, it's time to wake up. It’s just a nightmare.” She opens her eyes slowly. “It’s okay, I am here, I’m real.” I kiss her forehead to prove it. She hugged me tightly, letting the rest of her tears fall. Once she’s calmed down I move us to where she’s sitting up and I am looking her in the eyes. 

“Do you want to talk about what your dream was about?” She just shakes her head. 

“I’m fine really,” Adora says. “Is it time for the festival?”

“Yea, but we don’t have to go if you’re not up for it.” I sympathize. 

“No, we should go.” She says, fairly confidently. Yet, I can hear the worry in her voice. 

“Okay.” I make sure she’s looking me in the eyes, “But if at any point, you want to leave, feel overwhelmed, or get tired, we can leave.” She nods her head in response. 

I got her changed, and resituated in her chair. She decided she wanted to wear her hair down for the night. Honestly, she looked like a goddess. Glimmer decided to pack her a She-Ra esk tiara for Adora to wear. I pull it out of our bags, “Adora, do you want to wear this?” I ask. 

She stared at it. Almost like she wasn’t sure it was okay to wear anything resembling She-Ra. She took a deep breath. “Yea, I’ll wear it.” She smiles as I place it around her head. 

“You look stunning, Adora.” I say while rubbing her hand. I can see the blush come across her face. Leaning in, I kiss her perfect lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Catra. Now let’s go have some fun,” She grins. With that, we left for the festival. 

Everything was centered around the fountain. Orange balls of light floated everywhere. Everyone was smiling, enjoying the rejuvenated planet. There were street vendors selling ridiculous foods. As we passed by, we were offered almost one of everything. Music was ringing through the air. It was joyous, you could hear the happiness dancing with each note. With the music I made a quick decision. I started rolling us away from the festival, towards the edge of the treeline. Far enough away for people not to stare, but close enough for us to hear the music. 

“Uh, Catra, where are we going?” Adora was so confused. Instead of answering I stopped and moved so I was directly in front of Adora. 

“May I have this dance?” I ask, holding out my hand. “Don’t worry, no one can see us out here. It’s just you and me.” She shyly looked up, and reluctantly took my hand. And that moment I smiled in a way that only she could bring out of me. I pull her up and next to my chest. One arm is around her back, and the other holds one of her hands. I lift her up enough to where she could just barely rest on top of my own feet. I slowly start moving us back and forth. The dress she wore was beautiful. In the light emanating from the festival, it glowed in glorious oranges and yellows. And don’t even get me started on her eyes. They shined like the galaxy put all of its beauty into them. The best part… was she was smiling. A genuine smile. That made my heart soar. We danced like that until the music stopped. I kissed her softly, I kissed her with a promise that this happiness was going to be her future. 

The next day we continued our adventure. Before leaving the town we stopped at the shopkeepers store and restocked on food and other essentials. This leg of the journey was going to be slightly longer. She wished us well and reminded us we were welcome back anytime. 

“Catra?” Adora asked as we exited the town. “Where are we going now?” 

“We’re going to visit Scorpia.” I could see her tense up a bit. “Hey, it’s not the Frightzone anymore. It’s someplace new.” She nods and looks forward. Before I could start pushing she took over.

“Race you there!” She shouted.  _ There’s my Adora.  _

“Idiot, It’ll take us three weeks to get there..” I started running, “ And that’s optimistically!” I laugh. 

I finally caught up to her after an hour of running. “How the hell do you have that much stamina?” I quip. 

She laughed. “Looks like someone has kept up with her training.” She sticks her tongue out. 

“Oh hey, I got something for you back in Erelandia.” She turns to look at me. “I thought you might enjoy a different mode of transportation at times so I got this!” I pull a makeshift saddle out of my bag. “Before we left, I sent word and asked them to make this. Melog agreed to it, and if you wanted you could ride on him for a bit. It’s made so you don’t have to worry about falling off at all!” I nervously smile, waiting for her reply. 

“Aww Catra.” Her eyes started to sparkle. “I love it!” She rolled toward Melog. Petting his head she tells him thank you. I spend the next few minutes rigging up the saddle and strapping Adora in. Luckily, I had talked to Entrapta about this and she mechanized Adora’s chair to be able to shift into a smaller, more packable size. With that, we took off.

Adora spent a majority of the next three days riding on Melog, only moving to her chair when he needed a well deserved break. She looked more free like she was enjoying herself just a bit more. 

__________

Adora

I couldn’t believe it. Catra made it so I felt as free as possible on this trip. She danced with me, treated me like I wasn’t confined to the chair. I don’t think I could ever love another person more than I love her. When riding on Melog, it felt as though everything overwhelming my mind was disappearing in the wind. I finally felt as though I could live 100%. 

I’m nervous about heading back to the Fright Zone. I don’t know what is waiting for me there. Not to mention the nightmares. I know I am going to have to tell Catra everything eventually. I just don’t feel ready. I am terrified really. 

“Adora, Is everything alright?” Catra asks. 

“Hmm.. oh-yea” I reply, not realizing I was lost in thought. “Sorry I was lost in my head.”

“Anything you want to talk about?” She hums. 

“Not yet, I’m just not ready to talk about it yet.” I gaze downward. I feel guilty for not being about to tell her about what’s happening in my head. 

“Hey, It’s okay. I understand that sort of thing can be hard. While you were asleep, I took Perfuma up on meditating and working through a lot of my issues. It’s really helped, and maybe it could help you too.” I say trying to sound optimistic. “You don’t have to decide now, we are going to visit Plumeria during our trip. It’s just something to think about.”

“Hmm, okay, I’ll think about it.” I reply. I don’t know if talking or meditating will help at all. What if I'm too messed up from it? 

It wasn’t too much later that we reached the outer walls of Scorpia’s kingdom. 

_______

Catra

“Well, I guess we’re here. You okay?” I ask Adora. She decided to ride into the kingdom on the back of Melog. It seems to make her happier, more calm. That makes me feel a bit better. I wasn’t sure she would take my offer to talk to Perfuma, but hey, she said she’d think about it, so that was a start. We make our way to the Large tent in the middle of the Kingdom. 

“HEY WILDCAT!!” I hear as I’m tackled and lifted up into one of Scorpia’s famous hugs. “Gosh I missed you. Oh! And Adora! It is so good to see you up and enjoying life again! I know I was worried. I missed you a lot too!”

“Scorpia. Who’s he-- Oh! Adora and Catra. It is so good to see you. I knew everything was going to turn out okay” Perfuma just appeared from behind Scorpia like a ghost. 

“Scorpia. Put me down.” I snipe. Once I am on the ground again, I catch my breath. “Adora and I are traveling through Etheria. We’ll be her for a few weeks if that’s okay with you.”

“Yes! Of course it is!” Scorpia beamed. “We’ll have a feast tonight! Here let me show you where you guys can stay.”

She walked us through what used to be the FrightZone. You could barely tell it used to be the home base to a massive army ready to take over the world. Here and there I could find parts of our past hidden in the new homes. 

“So we started rebuilding this land. They decided to make me ruler since it was once my family’s home. We reconstructed the area and made homes and shops. It’s turned into a bustling place.” Scorpia started explaining to Adora. 

“Who lives here then?” Adora asked. It was truly a good question, seeing as none of the scorpion people were around anymore. 

“Well, we became a refuge for any ex-horde soldiers and any prime clones that wanted a new start. Perfuma has been helping them discover who they are without war. And who the clones are without prime. We’ve had lots of fun nights dying the hair of various clones. Wrong Hordak also comes to visit to teach some of them cooking if you could believe it. Brightmoon has been really helpful with supplies until we are able to start our own farming and trade.” That got a chuckle out of Adora. 

“Are Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio here?” Adora speaks. 

“Yea! Kyle and Rogelio came back just a bit ago. They have a nice home toward the middle of town. And even have a baby. Which no one is sure how they really got… Anyway, Lonnie decided to stay in the Crimson waste helping Huntara.” Scorpia says. “Ahh here we are. The royal guest house.”

“The what?” Adora and I say in unison. 

“Royal guest house. We haven’t built the castle yet, I wanted everyone else taken care of first, but we should start construction on it next month!” Scorpia exclaims. “You two rest now, I’ll come grab you for dinner!”

We entered the guest house. It was honestly beautiful. There were deep crimson curtains and bed sheets. A grey accented wall, and beautiful carpeting. There was even a kitchen and living room. Nothing you would ever imagine to be in the Fright Zone. 

“What Scorpia is doing is amazing.” Adora speaks up. 

“Yea, she’s doing amazing.” I reply. “I was able to come help a bit while you were asleep. It has definitely come a really long way.”

“I missed a lot being asleep, huh?” Adora sighs. 

“Yea. But you’re here now, and you can see all the good you did saving Etheria.” She just hums in response. 

Dinner passed by quickly. No one was really as excited that She-Ra was in town. It was, honestly, relieving. I am sure Adora felt the same way. Scorpia was excited to keep helping and building her own kingdom. After dinner, we headed back to our home for the next few weeks and got some well deserved rest. 

_______

Adora

A few days later, Scorpia asked Catra to help with some rebuilding effort on the other side of the city. So I got to spend the day exploring our old childhood home. Melog at my side of course. First we decided to stroll around town and see what the city was beginning to look like. After passing by a few shops, I spot Kyle and Rogelio, doing what looks like some shopping. I decided to roll over and see how they have been. 

“Kyle!” I shout. He whips his head around, eyes going wide. 

“Adora! How have you been?” He asks. 

“Well I’m alive so that's good.” I joke. “Would you guys like to sit and talk with me, we could buy a bit to eat?” I ask, not expecting them to say yes. Luckily they did, with smiles. 

“So who is this little guy?” I ask, as their baby grabs my finger. 

“Oh Ro and I found him, and decided to be his new dads!” Kyle said excitedly with Rogelio eagerly nodding along. 

Doing a double take, “Wait, dads? Since when were you two??” My mind was spinning. 

They just laughed. “You always were oblivious Adora.” I joined them in laughing. I guess I was during that time. 

“I am happy to see you two thriving. You guys always deserved better than what the Horde was offering.” I smile. 

“Thanks Adora. We’re happy to see you finally following your heart with Catra.” I couldn’t help but blush when Kyle said that. After a bit more small talk we parted ways and I continued my exploring. Eventually I got too in my head, all my anxieties, fears, stresses, and past coming to the forefront of my head. Without noticing, I almost ran over Perfuma. 

"Woah, Adora. You alright?" She asks.

"Am I alright? Are you alright?? I almost ran over you." I stress. 

"Yea, but you didn't" she sings. "What's on your mind?" 

“Just lost in thought I guess.” I reply, unsure if I want to disclose much of anything to anyone. 

“Would you like to take a stroll with me then?” She offers. 

“Sure, Why not.” We started wondering around town. There were things I hadn’t noticed before, smiles. Everyone seemed so happy. 

“You know, I’m told I am a really good listener.” Perfuma chuckles. 

Taking a deep breath, I decide to talk about it a little bit, without disclosing many details. “It’s just, hard for me to believe this is all actually happening. When I was.. Asleep… I was in a whole other world. One where..where..anyway, it was different from this. I think I left a part of myself there, or at least that’s what it feels like. I don’t deserve this happiness I feel when I am with Catra. Or the joy I feel when I see people enjoying their lives.”

“Why don’t you think you deserve to be happy?” She asks. 

“Because If this isn’t real, then I failed.” It’s all I could really say. 

“But you didn’t fail. You saved us all, with a little help from Catra, I might add.” 

“How can I know that’s true if I can’t remember it?” I worry. 

“Well, Catra was the only other person there, Have you talked to her about it?” She takes over pushing my chair. 

“I haven’t been able to work up the courage yet. To tell her about the nightmares, what went on in my head, or my crippling fear of losing her all over again.” I clench my fists. I feel angry at myself. 

“Well, I have been working with her. She’s calmed down a lot and become significantly more patient, I am sure she’ll wait until you are ready to talk.” Perfuma smiles. “I have to get going for the night, but I will bring you some tea and lotion that will help with your sleeping.”

“Thank you Perfuma.” I squeeze her hand. 

After she left I decided to see if our old perch is still standing. It took a good chunk of time to find. But eventually it was there, standing in all its old glory. A warmth filled my chest, “They left it here.” I say to myself. I motion Melog to my side. “Do you think you could help me get up there? I don’t trust the flying mechanism Etrapta installed quite yet aaha.”

_ Mreoww, _ He replied. He helped me on his back and we made our way up. I was a jumpy ride for sure, but definitely worth it. Looking out into the horizon, you could see trees and vegetation for miles, no more metal bunkers and buildings. You could see the sun rays as it sets in the distance. No smog, just clean air. The stars are beginning to rise and the moons take their places in the sky. It feels almost unrealistic. I must have been so relaxed because I didn’t hear Catra come up behind me. 

“Hey Adora,” She said, making me jump where I was sitting. Catching my breath I motion her to sit next to me. 

“Hey Catra,” I smile.

“This spot sure brings back some memories,” She chuckles, “This was the one place I asked Scorpia to keep in tact. I knew you’d wake up, and I wanted to be sure that there was some place with good memories from our childhood still standing.”

“Thank you Catra. I am happy you’re here with me. I really am, even if I don’t seem like it at times. I am working through it, and I will open up about it someday, when I am ready.” I say.

“I know you will,” Catra replies, kissing my temple. 

“Catra, I was wondering, Hordak got a new chance, and all the ex soldiers do too. Where is Shadow Weaver?” I ask.

__________

Catra

“...Where is Shadow Weaver?” I still. Not expecting her to ask that. 

Holding Adora’s hand tightly, I softly answer, “She’s gone. She, if you can believe it, sacrificed herself so you and I could make it to the heart.”

Adora’s eyes went wide. “Oh” was all she could make out.

“Hey catra,” Adora begins. “Can you tell me about what happened after we entered the temple? I thought you were never coming back, but Perfuma said that you helped me.”

“Sure thing Princess,” I reply and begin the story of how Etheria was saved. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. As always comments are appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their Trip continued. With some slight angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry its been, what, 8 months? Life got hectic. I promise this fic WILL be finished. Its not abandoned. After this we still have 2 chapters and an Epilogue. I am excited to write this fic and for y'all to enjoy it. I promise there won't be a massive gap before the next chapter. 
> 
> Enjoy lovelies and Happy New year!

Adora

It took about a half hour to get down from the perch. Catra settled me back down into my chair and we made our way to the guest house. Neither of us spoke much, I was too lost in thought and I think she was giving me time to process. I couldn’t believe I had sunk into the belief that I had failed, that I had given up. Those thoughts were quickly stashed away as my thoughts were consumed by imagining our first kiss. I tentatively brought my finger to my lips, wondering how it felt at that moment. 

As we entered the main square my thoughts were interrupted by some yelling coming from the far end. I looked up and saw a few ex soldiers getting into an argument. Scorpia or Perfuma were nowhere to be found. I had to do something. 

“Catra,” I start. “Can you run and get Scorpia or Perfuma to help with this situation? You’re way faster than me.” I chuckle and motion for her to go. 

“Okay..” She says wearily. “Don’t go playing hero, stay safe ‘Dora.”

“Always am, love.” I grin, knowing full well that I was going to try to calm the situation. Staying safe while doing so, of course. 

Catra sprints off and I slowly make my way towards the arguing. One soldier was blonde, green eyes and he looked very exhausted. The second was a brunette with golden eyes, she looked furious. They had yet to delve into fist fighting, thank the stars, but it definitely looks as though they are headed to that. 

“Hey, excuse me.” I try to get their attention. No acknowledgement and the arguing dissolves into a swear off. “Hey! You two!” I try a bit louder, getting frustrated that no one was listening. Before I could shout once more, the brunette pushed the blonde with all the strength she has. The blonde tripped and fell backwards right towards where I was sitting. 

\-----

Catra

I ran as fast as I could to Scorpia. It took about five minutes to get to their location. Knowing Adora’s need to help, I wanted to get them back as soon as I could. 

“Scorp!” I shout, clearly interrupting their conversation. I noticed they were both blushing as I made eye contact. Filing that away for later I continued. “There is an altercation happening in the main square. We need you.”

“Oh dear.” Perfuma replies. 

“Lead the way wildcat.” Scorpia replies eagerly.

Another five minutes and we return to the square. Just as it seems as though we got back in time before any fighting has occurred, I see the blonde cascading towards Adora. His elbow came first, hitting her in the side of the face, second came his body, knocking Adora over and out of her chair. It was clear that it was a hard hit because Adora was not moving. I sprint to her side and I notice that she has lost consciousness.

“Adora!” My rage seething. Turning towards the pair I growl, “What the fuck was so important that you had to fight and hurt her?” Fear was prevalent in their expressions. 

“Catra,” I hear perfuma behind me, “Deep breaths, it was an accident, let’s all talk this out. Scorpia is taking Adora to the med bay now, go.. Be with her.” Still steaming, I reluctantly follow Scorpia with the chair, ignoring the apologies coming from behind me. 

\-----

Adora

_I am standing on a cliff, facing a slightly less green Etheria. I take some time to take in the view, looking around I notice I am currently She-Ra. I notice Mara standing next to me. She starts a conversation with me. I can’t tell if this is a memory or a dream. It feels so surreal. She turns towards me and grabs both of my hands. Making eye contact she says “You’re worth more than what you can give to other people. You deserve love, too.”_

_ _ _At that point Horde Prime appears. I can feel my hands start shaking, my heart feels as though it is pounding out of my chest, and I feel as though the air is being sucked out of my lungs. Internally screaming I don’t realize Mara has frozen and Prime has started speaking. Before I can calm down I feel a piercing pain in my side_. 

I wake up suddenly, trying to calm my breathing and slow my mind down. “He’s not here. He’s not here. He’s not here. He’s not here.” I keep mumbling to myself. Trying to convince my brain that Prime is indeed gone. I flinch away at a hand touching my shoulder, shooting my out of my spiraling thoughts. 

“‘Dora, you’re okay. You’re safe.” Catra kept repeating with a concerned look in her eye. “Can I touch you?” I nod and she proceeds to take my hand and place it on her chest. “Follow my breathing and focus on my heart.” 

I slowly calm down and I move to hug Catra. “Thank you,” I mumble into her neck. She hums in reply. A few minutes later I find myself falling into a restless slumber. 

The next day I wake up early with a blinding headache and the feeling of warmth on my side. Catra was laying there staring at me. 

“Whatt?” I whine. “Do I have chocolate on my face?” I ask knowing full well that there is a bruise forming on my cheek. 

“Dummy.” She chuckles. Catra gets up from bed, walking towards the table on the other side of the room. She grabs some pain medication and starts walking back. Luckily, no nightmares plagued my dreams last night. 

“I have a few things to do today, but if you’re feeling well enough we can make our way to the water princess tomorrow morning. I’ll let you think about it a bit.” She kisses my temple, helps me into my chair, and tells me to take it easy. I decide to take a morning stroll around the new kingdom. 

“uh , excuse me,” I hear behind me. I slow to a stop and turn my chair around. Right away I recognized the two infront of me from the day previous day’s shenanigans. “We just wanted to apologize for knocking you over and hurting you yesterday.” They say at the exact same time while both bowing. 

A little weirded out by the synchronicity of their apology I quickly tell them its no issue and to be more careful next time. They run off before anything more happens. Continuing my st-”rool” I make my way to the new gardens that Perfuma has insisted on creating. Taking a deep breath, I find serenity in the fresh air and faint pheromones of the dew settling on the newly planted flowers. It was as if the Fright Zone had never existed at the moment. That all the shit that had happened since finding the Sword of Protection was just a dream. 

“Adora?” I was startled out of my peace by Perfuma’s voice. “How are you doing?”

Not realizing the words were spilling out of my mouth, “I am as okay as I can be for someone in a wheelchair, with constant self loathing, confusion and nightmares.” There was palpable silence. I refused to say anything more for the fear of being judged. 

Perfuma places her hand on top of mine, “The world has been so cruel to you. You never deserved the anguish that you have faced. It must be terrifying to have to relive what Prime has put you through, both of you. But listen to me, you are strong, you are brave, and you deserve happiness and love.” I remain silent. “I am here if you ever need to talk to someone. I know some mediation techniques to help with sleep if you would like to learn them?”

I nod slightly and we spend the next few hours working through these techniques. I feel more prepared to continue through the rest of the trip. Catra finds me in the garden a bit after Perfuma leaves. 

“Hey Adora, How are you feeling princess?” She asks. 

“A lot better. I think I am ready to see Mermista, I am good to leave tomorrow. I love you.” I smile. We did not end up leaving for another week, but I didn’t mind. Perfuma was willing to work with me a few hours each day. Catra and I went to our perch a few more times. And each night I couldn’t help but feel just a little lighter and filled with more love for the woman by my side. 

\-----

Catra

It took a few days to reach the port where we decided to meet Sea Hawk and Mermista. As we board the ship Sea Hawk regails us on his latest adventure. Of course this includes lighting boat number six? Seven? Eight? Whatever.. On fire. Adora seems to be enjoying herself in her conversation about how Mermista has been doing. Feeling on edge, surrounded by water, I kept to myself. 

Adora made her way to the head of the boat. She looks as though she’s seeing and taking in the world for the first time. She closes her eyes and lifts her arms a bit. I can tell she’s trying to feel the wind on her skin, to smell the salt in the air. She slowly opens her eyes and I can see the blue glistening bright. It’s as beautiful as the moment when sunlight reaches the surface of the bluest oceans. I can’t help but fall even deeper in love with the woman in front of me. 

“She seems to be doing better.” Mermista shakes me from my thoughts. 

“I think she is, she still won’t open up to me though. I want to be able to help but if she doesn’t let me in I can’t, and I feel useless.” I sigh. 

“She’s been through so much, Prime had her trapped in her head. She was and must have felt utterly alone during that. She just needs more time. I can see how much she loves you. She’ll get there.” I look to Adora and see her smiling. I can’t help but smile myself. 

We spent a week there. We toured around the city. They were excited to see She-Ra. They even held a feast in her name. This feast seemed to have less anxiety than the last. I think It had to do with the food. Who doesn’t love fish?!? Adora enjoyed the music and she was totally laughing at my excitement for the food. It was good to see her smile. 

We said our goodbyes and made our way to Frosta’s home. This was second to last on my list of places I want to visit. Surpassed only by the remnants of Horde Prime’s ship. Adora spends most of the trip riding Melog. I noticed her number of nightmares decreased, but she was still waking up at least once a night covered in sweat and trembling. I try to do what I can to comfort her, but I don’t have the confidence to believe that I am genuinely helping her. 

It takes a week to make it up to Frosta’s realm. Adora’s chair has yet to have a snowmobile function, so she spends most of her time on Melog, at least when we are outside. Frosta meets us at the gates to her castle. I can feel my anxiety rising as we get closer. Frosta, now 13, has grown her hair a bit longer. She wears a more mature outfit and seems significantly more grown into who she is. She smiles when she sees Adora and I approach. As her and I made eye contact I can see the ice form around her hand into a fist. Flinching, I hope to the stars that she doesn’t decide to make a living flashback.

“Welcome!” She smiles. 

“Hey Frosta! How are you?” Adora makes conversation.

They begin talking about how her kingdom has prospered since the defeat of Prime. As we walk, I zone out of the conversation, I take a gander around and notice some kids playing a game of iceball. I chuckle remembering the stories Spinny and Netossa told about their experiences with the game. We eventually passed the ball room that princess prom was held in. I pause just staring into the room. 

“Hey, you okay?” Adora Asks. I meet her eyes and see Frosta pause in the background waiting for my answer as well. 

“Huh? Oh yea, I am good. It feels like prom was a whole lifetime ago.” 

“Yea it really does,” Adora gives a weak smile. We continue our tour of the castle, ending near the guest rooms. 

“You both will be staring here during your time with me. Dinner will be served in a few hours, so why don’t you two get some rest before we eat?” Frosta suggests. 

“Yea okay.” We reply at the same time. Adora fell asleep relatively quickly, so I asked Melog to keep an eye on her and I took some time to explore the castle a little bit more. I make my way through the ice covered halls, perplexed by the way light bends and reflects across the floors. Looking ahead, I see a rainbow of colors forming on an ice covered balcony. Wanting to look at it closer I make my way to the end of the hall. 

“What are you doing out here?” Frosta speaks up. I had no idea she was even here. I grab my tail, willing it not to poof up from being startled. 

“I wanted to explore while Adora slept. I saw the rainbow and wanted to look at it closer. It’s fascinating.” I point to the spot. 

We sat in silence for a few minutes. I could feel myself calming down the longer she decided not to punch me in the face. I took a deep breath and decided to speak up. 

“I-I’m sorry.” I stutter. She looks my way and raises her eyebrow in question. So I begin again. “For you know, ruining your princess prom and trying to kill you and stuff. I know anything I say may not mean much, but I am trying to be better, for her.” I nod my head towards our room. Gripping my arm I start again, “I was wrong, and hurt, and I am sorry for everything.” 

“Thanks.” Frosta says, with forgiveness in her voice. “I still don’t like your face though.” She laughs. 

The tension in the air dissipates. I give her a weak smile, tell her I’ll see her at dinner and head back to Adora and I’s room. Adora is wide awake as I re-enter our room. I must have been gone longer than I thought. I make my way to the bed and sit next to her, giving her a hug I nuzzle my face in her neck and start purring. “I love you ‘Dora” I mumble.

“I love you too” I hear as I fall asleep in her arms. 

About an hour later a knock on the door wakes us for dinner. We laugh as we hear both of our stomachs grumble, hungry for food. 

A few days pass, Adora’s nightmares haven’t changed. She continually denies that anything is wrong, I can feel myself getting more and more frustrated as the nights continue. She still won’t open up to me. It’s almost time for dinner when I decide to discuss it with her. 

We make our way to the balcony I discovered a few days ago. “Hey Adora we need to talk.” I begin. I can see some fear in her face. “I’m not breaking up with you or anything. I love you princess. But You are barely getting any sleep, your nightmares haven’t stopped. Talk to me. Please.”

“I’m fine Catra, I’m fine.” She states. 

I can feel my anger. “But you’re not!” I shout. “I see it every day. You haven’t gotten better, and you won’t let me in! Am I not good enough? Do you not trust me after everything?” Tears were beginning to form in my eyes. I wait for her reply. She won’t even look at me. “I can’t right now.” I say calmly as I walk away to cool myself down, not realizing the consequences of doing so.

\-----

Adora

“I can’t right now,” Catra says, walking away from me. I couldn’t will myself to look up. I just stare at my hands in shame. I know my being closed off would cause issues, but I didn’t think it would make Catra of all people to walk away from me. What if she doesn’t come back? I can’t lose her again. I can feel myself giving into a panic attack. Luckily Melog decided to stay behind. He placed his head on my hands and didn’t move even when I covered him in my tears. 

After I had settled down, I asked Melog to go check on Catra, to make sure she’s okay. After he begrudgingly agreed, I rolled myself around the castle. I wasn’t feeling up to eating or socializing with anyone. Why would I? I’d just ruin it anyway. I’m broken. 

As tears fall again, I realize I made my way to the cliff we had once danced on. I just sat there as my heart broke into a million pieces again. 

\-----

Catra

After I had caught my breath and calmed down my anger, I realized I could have handled the situation better, I shouldn’t have snapped at her. I ran back to the balcony, running into Melog on the way. He asked if I was alright. After confirming I was, we made our way back to the balcony we left Adora on. 

Looking around I don’t see her, she must have made her way to dinner. I decided to head there as well and try to talk to her about it again after we eat. 

She never showed. 

I was worried at this point. Ignoring Frosta’s prying, I stand up and make my way through the castle, looking for Adroa. I checked our bedroom first, then the restroom, I continued through a few other rooms. Now I was genuinely scared. She wouldn’t Leave would she? I caught a glimpse of her golden hair while passing the ballroom. 

I slowly walk up next to her. Her once blue eyes, now a dull grey. She looks as though she’s cried all the tears she had within her. I hurt her, I am such an idiot. Before I could say anything she began to speak. 

“All I wanted that during our dance, besides you know figuring out why you were here, was to kiss you. I knew I loved you for a really long time. I almost did.” She chuckled slightly. “I’m sorry Catra.” She cries. “I’m so sorry, I’m so broken. Half the time I don’t know if I am going to wake up and this will all have been a dream and you’re actually dead. I wouldn’t be able to handle that. At least you walking away meant you were still alive, and I’d understand if you did, who wants a crippled useless person bringing them down?”

I was just about speechless. “Adora, please look at me.” I wait for her to look at me. “You Adora are the most strong and selfless, most amazing person I have ever known. I made a mistake walking away earlier. I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have yelled. I know you’re hurting and I want with everything inside me to help you. To give you the love and happiness you deserve.”

I brought my hand to her cheek and kissed her forehead. “I love you, I always have and that will never change, okay?”

“I just need more time. I will open up, I promise. Please don’t give up on me.” Adora whispered. 

“Never Princess.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fic! Comments welcome, advice welcome. Please let me know if you'd like to read more!!!


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